AS EDITOR of Loving Dalston, I was delighted to accept an invitation to the launch of a new beer by London Fields Brewery in October. And happily, I found a story there, a charming tale about the young master brewer, above, at right, newly hired from Germany.

So I was disappointed not to be invited by email, as on the previous occasion, to the reception at the Hackney premises for the launch of another beer.

No matter, I emailed the brewery to say I’d like to attend, only to be told: “We have now closed the guest list for the launch as we are over capacity.”

Even more surprising was that I’d happened to bump into the brewery chief some days earlier and he had cheerily mentioned he had another party coming up soon. I told him I looked forward to it.

How strange, then, that today, 26 November 2014, a week later, the brewery’s Facebook page was still inviting beer-lovers to “join us for the occasion from 6pm to celebrate”. At least one member of the public was yesterday emailed confirmation of their request to attend. So much for “over capacity”.

Could this have something to do with the story Loving Dalston published on 11 November 2014, headlined “London Fields Brewery boss owes on drugs past” about “the drug-dealing former life of a top Hackney businessman” who was asked by the court a few weeks ago why he had not restituted money?

And who was that? Why, convicted cocaine smuggler Julian de Vere Whiteway-Wilkinson, co-owner and co-founder of London Fields Brewery.

David Altheer 261114

* If you want to go to the event, see the London Fields Brewery Facebook page. Guaranteed Loving Dalston-free.

* Backstory: Brewery boss owes million-plus, Brewer makes his name in Hackney and London Fields Brewery launches

* Emboldened underscored words in most cases indicate a hyperlink, a reader service rare among websites. If a link does not work, it is probably because the site to which the URL refers has not been maintained.